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The 4 Steps to Achieving the Right State of Mind of a Great Salesperson

By Danielle Arad - May 25, 2016

3 min read

Salespeople don’t have the best reputation. Most customers have learned to approach you with caution, wary of a scam or at least of a bias toward making money rather than providing the best possible solution to a pressing need.

This poor perception can and should be changed overtime and you can help by abandoning guilty or uncomfortable thoughts of yourself as a salesperson and getting into the right state of mind for success.

But how do you break out of the cycle? How do you learn to dismiss judgement of you as a salesperson just because of the job title? Well, according to Forbes contributor, Erika Andersen, there are four simple steps that will you perform the mental acrobatics required to see yourself in a new light, which will eventually lead to greater success.

Firstly, says Andersen, it’s important to establish how you currently perceive yourself and your job as a salesperson. What words come to mind when you think of your work? As we will see, salespeople play an honest and critical role in matching the right product with the right customer, providing benefit to everyone rather than pushing an unhelpful product on a skeptical client for the sake of making money.

Pay attention to the words that come to mind. Andersen suggests that what you’d like you hear in your head, as a salesperson, are words and phrases like “helpful, partner, problem-solver, relationship builder, mutual benefit.” But many of you may hear instead “rejection, pushy, fake, annoying, unwanted, manipulative, scary,” and it’s ok. These thoughts are based on generations of built-up misconception and poor experiences with bad salespeople or judgmental clients.

However, as someone who wants to break this cycle, it’s time to face your thoughts and continue on to step 3.

It’s time to discard the discouraging thoughts about yourself and replace them with something more positive and supportive. As Andersen states, it’s important that the new perception you aim for be positive, but one that also feels true to you. There’s no need to lie to yourself or force yourself to believe that your product is the best product for everybody under any circumstances. This kind of determination sounds positive, but will eventually lead you to a brick wall and help feed society’s poor outlook on salespeople.

Instead, think to yourself, “I have a great product that some people will find useful. If people don’t want to buy it, it’s no reflection on me.” There are many reasons you may face rejection as a salesperson, and most of them are connected to the product and the customer’s circumstances rather than some flaw in you or your approach. While it’s your job to help a potential client see why your product fits his or her needs (if it really does) there isn’t much you can do if they are convinced otherwise.

The last, and perhaps most difficult step is to embed these new positive thoughts into your approach on the job. Mostly, this requires that you simply remember your supportive mantra and repeat it to yourself when you start doubting yourself and your abilities or the product you are selling.

Perhaps salesperson is a poor job title. After all, your job goes well beyond making a sale. Your job is to connect the right customer with the right product. Following these four quick steps will guide you to the right frame of mind to perform this task.